Automatic speed-controller for railway-trains.



I L. E. GLENN. AUTOMATIC SPEED CONTROLLER FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED APR-22,1916.

1,21 8,395 Patented Mar. 6,1917.

25 V 3/ 2/ O lll l ll lltllll INVENTOI? 3'5 4/ 40 rfggffig a J ATTORNEYSm: mwms PEYERS co.. FHO'IU-LITNQ. WAsmr' S ES PATE AUTOMATICSPEED-CONTROLLER FOR RAILWAY-TRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Applieation filed April 22, 1916. Serial No. 92,883.

inexpensive arrangement whereby trains may be prevented from proceedingbeyond the prescribed speed limits and whereby the .speed may be cutdown outside and beyond the control of the engineer.

A further object is to provide an automatic arrangement independent ofthe manual control of the speed ofthe train, for securing partialapplication of the brakes should the speed increase beyond theprescribed limits or predeterminedpoints.

In carrying out these objects, I preferably provide the construction andarrangement of parts to be now described with ref erence to theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and where-1n- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly broken away and in section, andmore or less diagrammatic, of the parts proposed by my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, illustratingthe rotating parts carried by one of the wheel axles of the tram. n V

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken substan-' tially on line 33 of.Fig. 2.

Referring now to these figures, I have shown in Fig. 1 at 10, the usualtrain pipe forming part of the air brake system as well Y known, and Iprovide the train pipe with a set collar 15, and between this collar andthe base of the valve casing is a coiled spring 16 by which the valve 13is normally held in 1ts uppermost position against its seat and inclosed position. Upon the upper external portion of the stem 1 1 isadjustably threaded a stop 17 forming part of a plug 18, the upper freeend of which is slidable within the axial bore at the lower end of ahead 19, a spring 20 being coiled around the plug 18 between the stop 17and the lower end of the head 19 whereby to thrust upwardly against thelatter, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. p V

Mounted at its lower end in vertical rotatable relation in connectionwith the central bearing 21 of a supporting bracket 22, is the body 23of a governor having upper angular arms 25 and having a lower rigid gear25. The movable weighted governor arms 26 are intermediately pivoted at27, to the ends of the arms 24:, and have their inner endsextendedwithin the upper apertured ward longitudinal movement of thegovernor rod 29 to open the valve 13 when the governor arms 26 swingoutwardly and upwardly under effect of the increased centrifugal motion.

In engagement with the gear 25 before mentioned is a second gear 31,secured upon gthe upper end of a stem 32 rotatable in a bearing 33 inthe supporting bracket 22 adjacent the bearing'21 before described, thelower end of the stem 32 being connected to a flexible shaft 3 1 whichleads to one of the car axles, such as seen at 35 in Fig. 2,

the adjacent end of the flexible shaft 3 1 being there connected, to ashaft 36 as seen in Fig. 3, having secured thereon a worm wheel 37,shaft 36 being mounted in bearings 38 at opposite sides of a casing 39housing the worm wheel 37 a worm 40 on the portion ofthe axle 35 uponwhich the worm 40 is secured,*this worm being pref-' erably formedinsections so as to be capable of I ready "disposition upon an axle 35and clamped byv clamping bolts 41.

Thus, rotation of the car axle is comi municated through the worm l0 andworm wheel 37, as well as its shaft 36, to the flexible shaft er, and onto the wheel 31, which meshes with the gear wheel 25 and thus rotatesthe governor at a speed proportionate to that of the axle 35.

The head 19 has a limited movement with respect to the plug 18 at theopposite end of stem i l, and the governor rod is thus permitted alimited movement without opening the valve 13. Upon-movement of thegovernor rod beyond this limit, however, valve 13 is depressed and opensagainst the tension of its controlling spring 16 and thus vents thetrain pipe 10 lit is obvious the tension of spring 16 maybe controlledby adjusting the stop 15 upon the valve stem is, and thus control or re-ate the points in the s seed of the train at which the application ofthe brakes will be effected.

1. ln a train speed regulating apparatus,

the combination with a train pipe having a vent, of a valve casinghaving an upper opening and a valveseat therein around the opening, aconnection establishin g communication between the interior of saidcasing and the vent of the train pipe, a valve within the casing seatedupwardly against the said seat, a stem upon which the valve is securedhaving a portion depending within the valve casing and provided with anadjustable stop, a controlling spring coiled around the stem between thebase of the easing and the said step, a plug threaded upon andadjustable on the upper external portion of the valve stem, a headhaving a lower axial bore into which the upper end of the plug ismovable, a spring coiled about the plug and bearing upwardly against thesaid head, a supporting bracket having adjacent bearings, a governorincluding a body disposed vertically and having its lower end mounted inone of the bearings of the said bracket and provided with an axial bore,a governor rod movable vertically in the bore and having a reduced lowerend disposed in the 11 per axial bore of the said head, said governorrod having an upper apertured end and said governor also includinggovernor arms intermediately fulcrumed upon thebody and having theirinner free ends disposed within the aperture of the said rod, a gearwheel secured upon the governor body, a stem j ournaled through theother bearing of the said supporting bracket, a gear wheel secured uponthe stem and in engagement with the gear wheel of the governor body, alexible shaft secured at one end to the said gear stem, and gearingconnecting the opposite end of the flexible shaft with one of the axlesof the train whereby to transmit rotation thereof to the governor.

2. In a train speed regulating apparatus, the combination with a trainpipe having a vent, of a valve casing having an upper opening and avalve seat therein around the opening, a connection establishingcommunication between the interior of said casing and the vent of thetrain pipe, a valve within the casing seated upwardly against the saidseat, a stem upon which the valve is secured having a portion dependingwithin the valve casing and provided with an adjustable stop, acontrolling spring coiled around the stem between the base of the casingand the said stop, a plug threaded upon and ad justable on the upperexternal portion of the valve stem, a head having a lower axial boreinto which the upper end of the plug is movable, a spring coiled aboutthe plug and bearing upwardly against the said head, a supportingbracket having adjacent bearings, a governor including a body disposedvertically and having its lower end mounted in one of the bearings ofthe said bracket and provided with an axial bore, a g0vernor rod movablevertically in the bore and having a reduced lower end disposed in theupper axial bore of the said head, said governor rod having an upperapertured end and said governor also including governor armsintermediately fulcrumed upon the body and having their inner free endsdisposed within the aperture of the said rod, agear wheel secured uponthe governor body,

a stem ournaled through the other bearing of said supporting bracket, agear wheel secured upon the stem and in engagement with the gear wheel.of the governor body, a flexiole shaft secured at one end to the saidgear stem, and gearing connecting the opposite end of the flexible shaftwith one of the axles of the train whereby to transmit rotation thereofto the governor, said gearing including a worm secured upon the axle, a

worm wheel in engagement with the worm, and a shaft upon which the wormwheel is mounted, connected to the respective end of the flexible shaft.1

3. In an automatic speed regulating device for trains, the combinationwith a train pipe having a vent, of a valve casing in communication withthe vent of the train pipe and having an opening, a valve controllingthe opening, a stem upon which the valve is secured having a portionextending within the valve casing and provided therein with anadjustable stop, a controlling spring between. said stop and a portionof the valve casing to normally .hold the'valve in seated position, ahead having a limited movement with respect to the outer end of thevalve stem, a'spring controlling relative movement of the said head andthe valve stem, a governor including a rod rotatably engagedwith thesaid head, and gearing connections between the said governor and a wheelaxle of the train.

4:. In an automatic speed regulating device for trains, the combinationwith atrain pipe having a'vent, of a valve casing in communication withthe vent of the train pipe and having an opening, a valve controllingthe opening, a stem upon which the valve is secured having a portionextending within the valve casing and provided therein with anadjustable stop, a controlling spring between said stop and a portion ofthe valve casing to normally hold the valve in seated position, a headhaving a limited movement with respect to the outer end of the valvestem, a spring controlling relative movement of the said head and thevalve stem, a governor including a rod rotatably engaged with the saidhead, and gearing connections between the said governor and a wheel axleof the train, said connections including a sectional worm secured to theaxle of the train, a worm wheel in engagement with the worm, and aflexible shaft connecting the worm wheel with the governor.

5. In an automatic speed regulator for trains, the combination with atrain pipe having a vent, of a spring controlled valve normally seatedto close the vent and having a projecting threaded stem, a plug threadedupon the said stem and adjustable thereon, a head having a limitedmovement with respect to the plug, aspring between the said plug and thesaid head, a governor including a governor rod one end of which isrotatably seated in the head, and gearing conthe train, whereby to drivethe governor at a speed proportionate to that of the train, all for thepurpose described.

LELAND E. GLENN.

Witnessed by- ROBERT J. CARR, OHAs. H. 0001:.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

